The Lau (ELL) Plan, so named from the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1974 decision in Lau v. Nichols, has been added to C-Plan as a CSIP question.
Regardless of whether a district has identified English Language Learners (referred to as LEP in state and federal code) enrolled, the law requires the development of a plan to address the specific language instruction education needs should it become necessary to provide such services. The district should review and revise the Lau (ELL) Plan on an annual basis to ensure adequate preparation of all educational personnel to meet the unique needs of diverse language learners.
A Lau (ELL) Plan is required of both public and nonpublic accredited districts in accordance with Title III of the ESEA (PL 107-110) and federal civil rights law, as well as Iowa Code section 280.4 and Iowa Code section 216.9.
On an annual basis, districts and accredited nonpublic schools must use the Title III state-required Lau (ELL) Plan template. The Lau (ELL) Plan template, Lau (ELL) Plan Guidance Document, Evaluation Checklist and Option C of ELP Standards Training Template, are found on the Iowa Department of Education's English Language Learners webpage.